Name(s):
Andrew and Ellie

Where do you live?
We’re in Palmetto Bay. Near Coral Reef Park.

How long have you lived in the area? 
We moved in right before Henry was born – six and a half years ago.

Where are you originally from and what brought you to town?
Andy: We are both from Miami. My dad moved to Miami from New Jersey to attend UM law school. Ellie’s parents are both from here. Her dad went to UM for med school. We grew up about 10 minutes away from each other.

Where and how did you meet ?
Elllie: Gulliver in ninth grade. (We were in school with Adena.) We’ve been together since sophomore year of college – since 2002.

Tell us a little about your family
We have three kids. Henry is six and a half, and we have Will and Jack who are twins that are three. Henry goes to Palmetto and the younger ones are at Beth Am. It’s a little reminiscent of our childhood because we both grew up here and our kids are kind of doing what we did as kids. That’s pretty cool. We have been lucky that all of teachers that we’ve encountered have all been excellent.

Please share about what you do for a livelihood or what keeps you busy during the week?
Ellie: I am busy with the kids during the week. I am active in their classrooms. I’ll go by to read books at Beth Am and help with the garden club at Palmetto. Now that the public schools have a closed campus, it’s not as much involvement as it used to be last year. We do get to have Lunch Bunch when we can for Henry. Lunch Bunch is when you come to the classroom, your kid picks a few friends and rather than going to the cafeteria, you sit outside. You can read books to their small group of friends or play a game. They don’t have to be in the loud, noisy cafeteria the whole time.

Andy: I work a lot. And I’m involved with my oldest son’s after school activities, which includes playing on a basketball team and practicing baseball. At work, I am an attorney. I do insurance defense representing corporations in toxic tort cases. Specifically, I represent corporations that have been sued in asbestos litigation.

How often do you come to the market?
Three times a month. We started coming when Zak the Baker was selling 10 dozen loaves of bread and then he would hang around and play music.  

Do you have a market ritual? If so, please describe.
We typically start off over by the library. There’s a playground. So, we play a bit first, then we hit the market. We’ll get a sample from the kettle corn people and then go past the barbecue pit all the way down towards you guys, or head down the pizza side. We do a least one full circle. It’s so good just being outside and getting a good sweat and then cooling down with a smoothie.

What’s your favorite thing to buy at LNB Grovestand and why?
Ellie: Every single day of the week, usually before bed, Will in particular asks me- ‘Mommy, I want to go to the farmer’s market right now.’ They love the rainbow smoothies and the guacamole and chips!

If we need jack fruit and you have it, we’ll get some. Lately, we’ve been getting the Turmeric Concentrate. I’ll make a Golden Latte with the concentrate and almond milk.

Andy: I love the concentrate on rice. I sprinkle it on after it’s cooked. We’ve been experimenting with different ways of using it.

What’s your favorite thing to buy at other stands at the market?
Pickles from the pickle lady and Mozzarella from Flap the pickle guy

A favorite activity I enjoy with my kids?
Ellie: Being outdoors with them. We go for bike rides as a family. With three kids, it’s an awkward number with baby seats and stuff. I usually end up trailering Will and Jack together and Andy and Henry will ride.

Andy: There’s a secluded place in Palmetto Bay that leads to the Chinese Bridge. It’s worth checking out. Past there is a library and if you keep going, there are horse stalls that face Old Cutler. The kids love it. 

The best deal at the market is:
Your avocados are a great deal, because they don’t turn brown!

I wish the market had:
Better prepared foods like sandwiches and salads. We miss Babe Froman and the French Baker who had the rugelach.

Favorite market story:
The bubble man is a big hit in our house -the guy in the parking lot who sells the bubble wands. We bought one and the kids love it. It’s all about the ratio of soap to water and it has to be – Dawn soap. Also, he has a lifetime warranty on the wand – He’ll fix it or swap it out. You can’t beat that.

Most-frequented local restaurants and what dish to order:
Recently, we went to Golden Rule with some friends. They have a new outdoor dining area. The blackened fish tacos were great. Sushi Rock in Suniland is also a regular. We order in a lot too. Big Tomato is good. You can get a whole wheat crust and the salads are good.

For special occasions, I go to: 
Joes.

Do you have a family or favorite recipe that you would share?
Andy: The kids favorite are mom’s meat balls.

Ellie: The key is cooking the meatballs in the sauce. That way they don’t dry out. I’ll mix Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, seasoning, egg and a little bit of milk. Put the raw balls submerged into the sauce. Next time, maybe we can add some Turmeric Concentrate to the balls too.  We serve over pasta or with garlic bread.

What’s a worthy splurge:
Ellie: Spending a little more than you’d normally do.

Andy: Hiring a sitter for four hours on a Saturday night. The two of us getting away for dinner and a drink.

Rainy-day activity:
With kids, Skyzone. Without kids, Netflix. Right now we are watching Making a Murderer Park Hill.

Do you have other shows to recommend?
Goliath with Billy Bob on Amazon is great. All of the Breaking Bads. Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is wonderful.

The most romantic spot around:
We went to Amara at Paraiso for our anniversary.  It is beautiful.

What are your hobbies?
Andy: Fishing and boating. Going offshore for fishing and boating in Biscayne Bay. Also, it’s fun to go up the Miami River to Garcia’s. You can dock in back and have a great meal.

Do you participate in any community or philanthropic events that you would like to share? 
Ellie: We go up to New York City in March each year to support my best friend, Katy and her husband Greg, for the “Love Rocks NYC” event. The concert helps raise money for the charity “God’s Love We Deliver” which delivers meals to people who are too sick to shop or cook for themselves. Each year, they throw a benefit concert at the Beacon to raise money for this organization. They have a lot of celebrity involvement and it’s a wonderful organization.  

Andy: With my firm, I participate in an attorney basketball tournament each year that raises money for the Overtown Youth Center. They are a positive influence on our community.

Is there a question that you would like to ask the LNBs?
What’s next for LNB? You mentioned Turmeric Candy. Other products coming or new growth directions?

(A+W) We are developing new recipes all the time. Our pick-up fridge concept is working well for people who can’t make it to the market and want to pick up tonic mid-week. And this week, we got a new machine to test Sorrel Bowls. They are better than Acai bowls and grown on our farm. We will keep you posted 

Is there a question that you would like to ask the community?
Are you ready to work together to solve local and global problems?

I wish you had asked me about:
Andy: Our favorite sports teams! The Dolphins, the Heat and anything with the Hurricanes. Both of our dad’s went to UM and it’s fun teaching the kids to cheer like we did.

Ellie: That time I spent the night on LNB Groves. I’ve known Adena since high school. I have vivid memories on staying on the farm when we were 12 or 13. It was big, dark and really felt like we were out of town. I also remember going to Adena’s house often where her mom, Kiki, was always cooking. Kiki used to cook a lot of chard. She would tell us to eat the chard so we would get boobs. I ate it, but it never worked.